


Marry me?

by SammyOliviaWatson



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, Fluff, I am learning, surprisingly enough no smut, they are Bernie's brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 18:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9397415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammyOliviaWatson/pseuds/SammyOliviaWatson
Summary: 5 times Bernie wanted to ask Serena to marry her and one time she did





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is Kat's birthday gift. Kat, you are the most wonderful, sweetest person and I hope this is doing you justice. <3  
> I really really hope you like it, happy birthday! =D
> 
> As always, Stephanie is a wonderful friend and Sev is a really wonderful beta reader who reads my stuff last minute even though they have a busy life. Blame Sev for it being *that* fluffy. They are partially responsible for that. ;) (thank you! =) )

1.

The first time Bernie wanted to ask Serena to marry her was the first Christmas they spent together.

Watching her watch her children (technically child and nephew) unwrap their presents, seeing her face settled in a quiet gentleness, Bernie suddenly realised that she wanted to spend the next christmas with Serena. And the one after that. And the one after that. Until they were old and wrinkly. _Well, older and more wrinkly,_ Bernie corrected herself with a smile. Bernie knew Serena would not risk asking her, out of fear that she would feel cornered and would feel the need to run again.

And anyways, the topic was not appropriate to be brought up with both of their children (and nephew) present so it remained unspoken and in the darkness of the next few weeks other things were more important, like getting Serena to eat and Bernie forgot about it.

 

2.

The second time Bernie thought about asking Serena to marry her was just after Jason’s accident. In that moment when the car hit, Bernie realized it could just as well have been Serena and she could have been denied access to her because she was technically not family. The thought of Serena alone in a cold hospital room, hurt, and Bernie unable to get through to her terrified her.

But there were many more immediate important things to think about at the moment, to do, she had to save Jason and be by Serena’s side and take care of the wellbeing of her family, because to Bernie, that’s what they were, even if she and Serena were not yet legally bound.

Those weeks changed her, it changed all of them. For the first time she realized the depth of her commitment to Serena and the depth of Serena’s need of her. Without Bernie, Serena would have survived on Shiraz alone while Jason and Elinor were in the hospital, but Bernie taught herself how to cook so that they had food, so that Serena would eat. Bernie was worried what Serena would have been like hadn’t she been there for her, but she realized that it lay in her own hands to be there and she vowed to never leave the woman she loved.

 

3.

The third time Bernie felt the need to ask Serena to marry her was when Jason and Elinor had both long been back home. They were in the hospital and a patient was showing unabashed interest in Serena. Bernie’s blood boiled, her mind screamed that Serena was hers but was she really?

Later at night, reflecting back on the day she thought that yes, Serena was hers, they had had that conversation but Bernie would like no possible doubt about it. She wanted to shout from the rooftops that Serena was and would be hers and that she would be Serena’s, as long as they could stand each other, and Bernie thought that would be for the rest of their lives. She, certainly, knew Serena was the one for her, and nothing would ever change that.

 

4.

So she started thinking about how she would go about proposing to Serena, the love of her life.

First of all, she needed a ring. She could do it without one, but she wanted to do it properly and a ring was the most proper way of going about it.

Bernie thought there had once been a family heirloom ring but had no idea where it was. She called her youngest brother Vincent*1 who had come out as gay when their parents had died.

“Wolfe, who is this?” he answered the phone.

“Vincent, it’s me, Bernie!” she said. “Um listen, there’s something… wasn’t there a family heirloom engagement ring somewhere? Do you know who has it?”

“Bernie,” he laughed. “Tell me what’s going on first, alright?”

“Yes well um…” she blabbered.

“Bernie,” he warned.

“Okay, okay!” she said and began. “You know that talk we had a few years ago?”

“That talk?”

“Yeah that talk. Um… I kinda… Well there’s this woman”

“Ooooohhhh,” he disrupted her.

“Vincent!” She laughed and blushed.

“Well, am I right?” he asked,and Bernie just knew he was smiling smugly on the other end of the line.

“You are not wrong,” she admitted.

“And you want to marry her?” His voice carried excitement.

“Well I wouldn’t be asking for the engagement ring otherwise, would I?”

“True, true,” he said. “Bernie, this is amazing, I’m so happy for you! Who is she?”

“Well… her name is Serena, we have been dating for… almost a year and I’m living with her and I got to know her through work and she is the most amazing woman I have ever known.” Even through the line her voice sounded dreamy.

“I’m so so happy for you!”

“Thank you,” Bernie said. “Well, do you know anything about the ring?”

“I think Harold took it as a keepsake. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him,” his voice carried the compassion at her having to talk to him, neither of them had had much contact to him since Vincent had come out.

“Oh god,” Bernie moaned. “Any chance you want to accompany me?”

“Sorry sis, I’m afraid you have to go through this alone.”

“Oh,” she complained. “Um well how is your life going?” she asked.

They talked for half an hour about everything that had happened in both their lives and laughed a lot.

Serena was about to come home so Bernie had to hang up after that, she didn’t want her to find out about it before the time was right.

Serena’s shoulders were a bit slumped when she walked in, she hung her coat without a word.

Bernie gently touched her shoulder to signal that she was there and would be back and moved to the kitchen to make them tea.

All she heard from Serena during the whole time was the thud the couch made when Serena let herself fall onto it, then nothing.

Bernie reemerged with two steaming cups. Serena was sat on their couch, staring into the void.

Bernie set the cups down in front of her and sat down next to her.

“What happened?”

Serena turned to Bernie, searching her face. Her eyes were filled with deep sorrow.

“The girl died,” she said in a flat voice. “She could have been our daughter, Bernie. She got into a car accident and I couldn’t save her. What if it had been” her voice choked in dry sobs. She leaned towards Bernie, suddenly the distance that had been so welcome before now too much. Bernie caught her and held her, smoothing her hair, caressing her lower back because that was where her hand had landed and holding her close.

Serena sobbed into Bernie’s shoulder.

Eventually her sobs died down and it seemed like Serena would fall asleep.

“Let’s go upstairs, alright?” Bernie suggested. Serena just nodded and followed her, leaving their long since cold cups of tea on the coffee table.

In their shared bedroom, Bernie slowly and gently undressed Serena who would have fallen into bed and dropped asleep fully dressed otherwise, then Bernie quickly undressed herself, leaving the clothes where they fell.

Serena curled up and Bernie curled up behind her, protecting her and pulling the blanket up.

Serena turned around, fear in her uncovered eyes.

“Promise me you’ll never leave me?”

The fear caught onto Bernie and she felt immeasurable sadness.

“I would never leave you. Never. Never.” She wanted there to be as little doubt about that as possible and asking Serena to marry her would accomplish that. The idea that she would ask Serena to marry her settled in Bernie’s mind and the pond of her mind became clear again.

She smiled sadly and kissed Serena on her lips, holding her face.

“Let’s sleep,” she suggested.

“Okay,” Serena agreed and turned back around and let herself be spooned by her partner.

 

5. 

On the same day the next week, the one shift off that she had without her partner, Bernie got into her car with a sigh. Harold it was, he had the ring she needed. The radio that started upon her starting the motor played some classical piano piece*2, quite fitting her mood. She drove the surprisingly short distance to his family’s home, none of them had ever moved far away from where they grew up, except to serve.

She parked, turned the keys and let her head fall onto the steering wheel, trying to collect inner strength and calm. She could do this.

She braced herself, pulled her keys out and moved to the to front door.

She rang the doorbell. Nothing happened for a minute.

She rang the doorbell again and immediately the door sprung open.

“Bernie!” Harold stood in the frame, looking more surprised than anything. “You look different,” he commented. “Did somebody die?”

“No, no.” Bernie assured him. “Quite the opposite really.” She fake-smiled brightly.

“Okay? But why are you here?” He had not moved an inch.

“Look, Harold, can I come in?”

“Um, okay.” he reluctantly agreed and stepped aside.

They moved into his kitchen. He sat down, not offering a drink. Bernie noticed but did not comment, there was no point.

“Look, I…” she nervously locked a strand of hair back behind her ear. “I have found someone I want to marry. Um, again.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” He crossed his arms.

“I need an engagement ring. Vincent said you still had the family one and I know you never used it. Can I have it? I would even pay you for it.”

“How much?”

Bernie sighed, having expected something of that sort.

“How much do you want?”

“No, wait, actually I’d prefer a favour.” He grinned. That had never meant anything good for Bernie.

She sighed deeper and nodded.

“Okay.” He didn’t move. “I still need the ring,” she said.

“Oh right. Stay right here, I’ll know if you move,” his voice sounded strangely threatening. Bernie could not believe they were related, much less that they actually grew up together. She looked at her clock out of boredom, then out of the window. Time seemed to stand still while she was waiting.

Three minutes later he came back with a small wooden box, holding it out to her wordlessly.

“Thanks,” she said, taking it.

He gestured to the door. Bernie moved and he accompanied her to the door, Bernie didn’t know if he had refound his curtesy or if his mistrust ran that deep.

When he had closed the door and she sat back in her car, she opened the box. A sparkling emerald in contrasting gold looked at her. It was perfect. Her love for Serena was surging up and in this moment she wanted nothing but to ask her already, wanting to see the expression on her face.

 

+1

Bernie could not put the box away that night, she just left it in her pocket. And it stayed there. The next day. And the next day. And the one after that.

The knowledge that it was there, at her fingertips, made her happy and giddy and gave her strength so she just never took it out, only for the one day the jeweller had to change the size of it.

Bernie was planning an elaborate dinner to propose, had ordered three bouquets of roses, a box of the best Shiraz she could find, had researched and found romantic music and a dinner that she wanted to cook and had even set a date but she was not good at keeping secrets from Serena.

She was so happy and she didn’t want to keep it to herself.

One night when Serena was cooking and Bernie was helping her, she felt overwhelmed with love for her woman, just the way she was standing there, her shoulders relaxed, a quiet smile on her lips, the soft light illuminating the contours of her face, she couldn’t help herself.

She washed her hands from the pepper she had been cutting and got down on one knee. Traditions and the “proper way” were just conventions anyways. Serena didn’t even notice at first, just asked “why did you stop cutting?” and when she didn’t get an answer she turned around.

“What are you doing on the floor, Bernie?” she asked, then realisation dawned on her face.

“Bernie” she whispered and wiped her hands on her apron.

Bernie smiled and she felt like her heart must burst from all the love she was feeling.

“Serena Campbell,” she began and cleared her throat, blushing a bit, “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You are the love of my life. I want there to be no doubt that my intention is to be always by your side, and that I am forever yours and you forever mine, if you will have me.” She let out a shaking breath. Happy tears were streaming down Serena’s face. “Will you marry me?” she asked.

“Bernie,” Serena said, her voice breaking.

“Bernie” she said again and pulled Bernie up.

“Bernie,” she said and kissed her.

“There is nothing I’d rather do. Of course I’ll marry you.” Serena said.

At that Bernie gathered her in her arms and smothered her face in kisses.

“I love you,” she breathed out when she took a half-step back to give her fiancée (and how that thought made her heart beat faster) room to breathe.

“I love you,” Serena said with the happiest expression Bernie had ever seen on her face.

Bernie pulled the small wooden box from her pocket and opened it. “I even have a ring,” she shyly and proudly said.

“My god,” Serena breathed at the sight of it. Bernie pulled it out of its hold. Serena gave her her hand and Bernie put it on her finger. “Bernie,” she said. “It’s so beautiful, how did you…?”

“Oh ehm,” she stuttered, “I didn’t really pick it, it’s the Wolfe family heirloom.”

“My god,” Serena whispered, looking at Bernie, then at the ring. “Bernie,” she said, love in her voice, crying again. Bernie’s face was lit up while she wiped Serena’s tears from her face. The ring matched her perfectly, in colour and style, the ring making her eyes sparkle more and her eyes making the ring twinkle.

The water in the pot was boiling, demanding their attention. They went back to cooking, Jason did want dinner when he came home but their joyous expressions didn’t leave their faces that night.

No, ever really.

 

_The end_

  
  
  


Outtakes from the wedding:

Bernie had invited both her brothers and surprisingly enough both had turned up, Vincent with his current partner and Harold with his wife and children.

The wedding was medium-sized, both of them had invited their families and the AAU staff (and former staff). After the church service that had been accompanied by many tears from all sides, everybody gathered in the garden behind their house where they had set up a gazebo with a buffet below, safe from potential rain. Since the church had only very limited space, only a very select circle of people had been invited there and the rest, such as Harold, only turned up later at their home.

Both Bernie and Serena were wearing dresses but they didn’t feel comfortable having a white wedding and anyways, the both looked better in different colours, so Serena was wearing mulberry and Bernie was wearing navy blue. Harold looked around searchingly, his face in a frown. Vincent came to a halt next to him. “What is it, dear brother?” he asked, his hands folded behind his back, bouncing on his toes, an elfish grin adorning his lips.

“Have you seen the groom?” he asked in confusion.

Vincent’s grin became wider.

“There is no groom.”

Harold’s frown deepened.

“But isn’t this a wedding?”

Vincent did a twirl, he was having so much fun

“You are correct, brother mine.”

Harold stared at him in confusion.

“They’re lesbians, Harold,” Vincent had mercy. Harold continued staring.

“I am at a lesbian wedding,” he stated.

“Correct,” Vincent confirmed, hardly suppressing his laughter.

“Oh god,” Harold moaned and hid his face behind his hands.

“There, there, dear brother, I’m glad I could be the one to break the news to you.” His schadenfreude was apparent.

“I have no choice but to be happy for them, do I?” came from between his fingers.

“No you don’t,” Vincent grinned, genuinely happy that it was a choice for him, that there might be a happy ending to this part of their story after all. “Thank you,” he said and patted his shoulder.

“Well I have no other choice,” Harold said while taking his hands away from his face and squaring his shoulders. “Let’s do this,” he said and got on his way to congratulate bride and bride.

  


_The end (this time really)_

 

**Author's Note:**

> *1 I have background info on the Wolfe family that I thought up that didn’t make it into the story. So if you’re interested, there you go, if not, just scroll back. =)  
> I didn’t want to let it go to waste. Bernie is the oldest, Harold is the middle child and Vincent is the youngest. Vincent realized at a comparatively early age that he was gay but did not dare to come out because he needed his family’s support, but he told Bernie. When Bernie divorced she realized she was gay herself and the first person she called, sobbing, was Vincent, before her (first) talk with Dom.  
> Vincent had come out to Harold when the last of their parents had died but Harold had distanced himself relatively early from Bernie and Vincent, just… being too different from them.  
> Also Harold works from home, he isn’t just randomly home in the middle of the day. He has two daughters and is very straight and very much the son of his father so pretty homophobic which is why Bernie sleekly avoids mentioning the gender of her partner.  
> I know I left the favour that Bernie now ows Harold open, but I had no patience to write even more... sorry. If anybody has a good idea what that favour might be, bring it on! I am not unwilling to explore this! =) I thought it might be something utter ridiculous because at the end of the wedding, he sees that they clearly love each other and that maybe gay marriage isn’t that bad after all.
> 
>  
> 
> *2 It was by Chopin, Ecossaise for piano No.3 in D flat major, Opus 72/ 3c (posthumous), B.12/3


End file.
